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In my opinion some blades are better than others. However, in the Feather AS-D2 the blade which works best is the blade made to be used in it. Or, is it the other way around? Was the razor made to wrap around the Feather blade? In either case, they go together like they were designed to be used together.

I am not a fan of Feather blades. They shave me great, but irritate my skin. However, they are still the blade of choice in the razor you like.

Not everyone likes the Feather AS-D2 either, but nobody thinks it anything but a great razor for those who find it perfect for them.



Sometimes I wish I got along better with my AS-D2 and a Feather blade, but facts are facts.

It's a great combination if it works for you!

In this photo it's obviously on a non Feather handle but I don't know for sure which one. Maybe a RR barberpole?​
View attachment 1368082


My intention when I began this journey was much like yours. I bought for myself this Feather AS-D2. Had it worked for me I would have spent several thousand dollars on something else, but instead have a great many razors.

Being the enabler I am I will encourage you to try our a great many brushes since you've found your perfect razor. If you ask me I'll be happy to tell you which brushes are worth your consideration.



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There is a trophy awaiting anyone who actually saves money with this hobby.

Happy shaves,

Jim
I think I will save the amount of the initial investment quickly. To avoid breakouts I would use Mach 3 and toss after one. That got pricey even from Costco. So this is much cheaper.
 
Yeah. I was spending like 40 a month on blades. I would end up using them twice to not spend as much but would break out on second.
I think I have already saved as much as I spent in the six months of DE shaving.
Granted I planned to spend more, but got lucky I played my OCD rignt.
 
I tried out the PAA and wow am impressed. Used just a tiny bit and it made more lather than I needed by far. Fluffy and slick.

It was a very noticeable difference in sickness from the Vander hagen. My skin has a nice feel after and it went even faster.
I think it will take me six months to get go through the sample size at this rate. Lol. Like omg I have soap for life already.

I think I may skip a scuttle cause I can't even use half the lather I make now and I am fond of my skull bowl.

Like that's where my anti hair pirates live arg matie.
That’s mine I haven’t found a reason to change. The Supply razor is new though. I really like it.
 

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So I ordered six sames from Stirling. They will be here tomorrow and they even gave me a sweet discount.
I figured I need containers for the samples so I went to the site called maggards. The box is so cute and it fits the comfy. Like wow. It's like the perfect size. I am just going to keep the box to store them in.

It's like I just know how to make the r8fnt decision. I spent the same as PAA but got 6 scents.
Also aww these containers. So cute!
 

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Even the label is adorable. Like this all cost like $5. Like huh. Yay this place.
 

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I am debating two impossible decisions.
Feather vs Personna med prep & PAA vs Stirling.

As my hair is too thin and soft to tell any difference during the shave I am left pondering non relevant attributes. So this will take awhile.
 
For Feather vs Personna its about sound. Feather provides more feedback sound. That's kinda relevant though. Neither provide feel. Which is good.

For PAA vs Stirling it's about veg vs Tallow.

Veg has a silkier look and feel, tallow foamier. Both are equal in slick and seem to be equal in skin conditioning. I can't compare scents
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
Yes, it takes total concentration when shaving with a straight razor. Any drop in concentration and the blade will quickly let you know. SR shaving is not for everyone.
If I’m still paying attention, I’m no longer aware of it. I just shave on full automatic anymore. Just routine again.
 
Is tallow really that good?

First, welcome to B&B!

My experience had been that tallow really is that good - the tallow soaps just outperformed the vegan soaps - until I finally tried Martin de Candre (MdC). MdC is better than what people say - almost magical. Yes, it is expensive, but you only need a small amount, and it really does last.

Another option for vegan is creams. Most creams are vegan. The plain old LEA is an excellent, low-cost vegan cream that punches above its weight class. Can be harder to find in the US than in Europe where it is cheap as chips. This one:

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For mid-price Tallow soaps, hard to beat Stirling.

My advice is to keep using soaps at your current price point, then eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a few days, and splurge on a tub of MdC. The Rose, which they make in the spring, is to die for.

Regarding razors, my daughter uses a Merkur 23C, and loves the longer handle.
 
First, welcome to B&B!

My experience had been that tallow really is that good - the tallow soaps just outperformed the vegan soaps - until I finally tried Martin de Candre (MdC). MdC is better than what people say - almost magical. Yes, it is expensive, but you only need a small amount, and it really does last.

Another option for vegan is creams. Most creams are vegan. The plain old LEA is an excellent, low-cost vegan cream that punches above its weight class. Can be harder to find in the US than in Europe where it is cheap as chips. This one:

View attachment 1372515

For mid-price Tallow soaps, hard to beat Stirling.

My advice is to keep using soaps at your current price point, then eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a few days, and splurge on a tub of MdC. The Rose, which they make in the spring, is to die for.

Regarding razors, my daughter uses a Merkur 23C, and loves the longer handle.
All three of those are extremely good choices. Until my last shave Stirling was my top soap brand. My last shave was with MdC original and that easily topped Stirling. I still plan on using my Stirling soaps because they’re excellent soaps as well. The Lea cream is my favorite cream though admittedly I haven’t used that many creams. Another good vegan soap is the La Toja stick. The Murkur 23C is a good razor but I prefer shorter handles. The Gillette ball end tech is my favorite razor
 
Cool! I believe the dyed boar has treated tips for quick break-in. Have you tried it yet or are you going by how it feels dry?
I have. It's so soft. Really really soft. It makes pretty well. Holds lots of water. Which is good I think. I can't tell if I like it or not.
It's certainly different more than I thought it would be. So soft
 
I have. It's so soft. Really really soft. It makes pretty well. Holds lots of water. Which is good I think. I can't tell if I like it or not.
It's certainly different more than I thought it would be. So soft
Do you know how to break it in and, generally, how to use it compared to a synthetic? Mine is identical except in black and with natural bristles. My vintage poof ball I have posted is probably the same softness as yours.
 
Do you know how to break it in and, generally, how to use it compared to a synthetic? Mine is identical except in black and with natural bristles. My vintage poof ball I have posted is probably the same softness as yours.
Nope. No idea honestly
 
Nope. No idea honestly
Oh, it that case...
Stick your little piggy in a hot(tap) water bath while you are doing something else for about 20min. Actually, you should probably shampoo it first. Squeeze and shake it and let dry. You should already start seeing the ends splitting. Then when you are sitting around, you can either palm or towel lather it dry. It might make a little mess, but should keep splitting. It will take a few lathers for it to get actually broke in, some people use soap they don't like to make a lather that they just toss. 🐷
 
I think I like the skin conditioning of tallow. I think PAA tie on slickness and PAA has silky lather where Stirling has more foamy lather.Silkier seems easier to apply. I am maybe going to mix to try to get the best of both. Idk.
Is there a perfect soap?
 
Oh, it that case...
Stick your little piggy in a hot(tap) water bath while you are doing something else for about 20min. Actually, you should probably shampoo it first. Squeeze and shake it and let dry. You should already start seeing the ends splitting. Then when you are sitting around, you can either palm or towel lather it dry. It might make a little mess, but should keep splitting. It will take a few lathers for it to get actually broke in, some people use soap they don't like to make a lather that they just toss. 🐷
So practice yay
 
I think I like the skin conditioning of tallow. I think PAA tie on slickness and PAA has silky lather where Stirling has more foamy lather.Silkier seems easier to apply. I am maybe going to mix to try to get the best of both. Idk.
Is there a perfect soap?
The DG one I recommended. It's tallow, but ingredient wise it's like veg with tallow further down the list than normal.
 
I think I like the skin conditioning of tallow. I think PAA tie on slickness and PAA has silky lather where Stirling has more foamy lather.Silkier seems easier to apply. I am maybe going to mix to try to get the best of both. Idk.
Is there a perfect soap?
I have two favorite soaps: Mitchell’s Wool Fat and Tabac (tallow formula). MWF was the first soap I bought 10 years ago. I recently bought it again, and I still like it. Nice scent but subtle. The lanolin is great for winter.

This year I finally tried Tabac. Little did I know they had changed formulas removing the tallow. I was mightily disappointed and didn’t understand why so many people loved Tabac. Once I learned they changed the formula, I e-mailed a couple websites that had Tabac available at a low cost (not your popular shaving supply stores like Italian Barber, Maggard’s, Pasteur, WCS, etc.) to ask them if they could look at the ingredient list on the box to see if it had “tallowate.” I thought since they probably didn’t have high turnover of supplies, they might still have the tallow. They did. Once I got the tallow version, I understood why people loved it. It’s great. I got the soap stick at first (around $11), but once I discovered I like it, I went ahead and ordered a puck in a bowl (around $19.50). Both MWF and Tabac are triple milled soaps and last forever.

If you’re interested in MWF, you can buy the refill puck from Connaught Shaving in England, and it will cost less (even with shipping) than buying it in the U.S.


A popular Italian soap is Cella. If you like sales, Connaught has it on clearance for about $3. You might poke around their website. Their prices are pretty good. You have to convert pounds to dollars, though. (I just ask Siri. 🙂) When you add items to the cart and select the United States, it tells you your total in dollars.

If you want to try a bigger brush, since you have much more area to shave than just a face, the Simpson Trafalgar T3 is a plush luxury. I got one on WCS’s sale for $25. Looks like Pasteur Shaving has it for $25, but they are currently sold out. You can give your e-mail address to be notified when it’s back in stock.

 
If you want to try a bigger brush, since you have much more area to shave than just a face, the Simpson Trafalgar T3 is a plush luxury. I got one on WCS’s sale for $25. Looks like Pasteur Shaving has it for $25, but they are currently sold out. You can give your e-mail address to be notified when it’s back in stock.
I bought a T3 from The Razor Company for around 25.00. Right now is 28.30 and there is a coupon (DECEMBER-5) which gives 5.00 above 25.00.
 
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